Villarreal are in average shape lately – 1 win, 3 draws, 1 loss in last 5 matches across all competitions, being currently on a 3-match drawing streak. Villarreal host Espanyol on Wednesday in the first-leg of the Copa del Rey tie in round of 16. “We have four official matches without losing and we see the Copa as a competition to continue competing. We will try to be the same but with different nuances because the rivals are different. We will try to compete and pass the tie without losing sight of the situation in La Liga. We are aiming for the best possible result. We are going to rotate, there is no time to prepare matches and we have arrived at the most complicated moment in terms of the schedule,” said coach Luis Garcia.

Espanyol: Four away defeats in a row (Recent Form: WLLLWL)

Espanyol had a very bad ending to 2018 as they were on a 6-match losing run in the league. However, ‘Los Pericos’ started the new year with a home victory over Leganes (1:0). Now it’s time for an away encounter. “It’s an official match, we represent Espanyol and our mentality is to win. We know what does the Copa means for the club. There is no friendly here, the importance is total, as if it were La Liga. It won’t be easy just because Villarreal are in difficult situation in the league. They have a complete squad,” said coach Rubi.

THE BETTING VERDICT:

In conclusion, I believe that this might be a low-scoring clash. Both sides are likely to feature in experimental line-ups, with their best strikers being rested so perhaps there won’t be many goals in this outing.

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